The Unsorted BBS Collection/thegreatunsorted.tar/thegreatunsorted/texts/txtfiles_misc/altvamp.faq

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FAQ for alt.vampyres

Frequently Asked Questions - alt.vampyres

Version 2.0 - Last Update: 17 Jan 1995 16:02:15 GMT


This is a list of Frequently Asked Questions seen on the alt.vampyres
newsgroup and their answers, as given by those who post to the newsgroup.

This FAQ was originally written by Travis S. Casey and is now maintained
by Robert D. Herrick II.  All comments and revisions should be sent to:

[e-mail]


This FAQ is supposed to be a representation of the newsgroup as a whole
and not just my undead ramblings.  If you see something that is inaccurate
or should be added, even if it is as minor as a grammatical error, EMAIL
ME!!  I don't pretend to be the authority on the vampiric.  This FAQ can
only be as good as we as a newsgroup want to make it, so send me your
contributions and receive your immortality (assuming, of course, that you
haven't already achieved it through vampiric methods...)

This document is posted on the closest weekday to the 17th of every month.
Email inquiries to the address above can also win you a copy of the latest
version of this FAQ.

A quick word about version numbers:  the version number will change every
time I feel I have made a significant change to the FAQ, like the addition
of a section.  If the version number doesn't change, you can be assured that
nothing of importance will be missed if you don't download this.


Contents:

  Part 1 -- Questions about this newsgroup
     1.  What is this newsgroup about?
     2.  Why do you spell "vampyre" with a "y?"
     3.  Do you REALLY think that vampires exist?
     4.  So-and-so can't be a vampire!  He's posting during the day!

  Part 2 -- Questions about vampires
     1.  What powers are commonly ascribed to vampires?
     2.  What vulnerabilities are vampires subject to?
     3.  How do physical illnesses affect vampires?
     4.  How can one kill a vampire?
     5.  How does one become a vampire?
     6.  What types of vampire exist?
     7.  How can I find a vampire?
     8.  What is porphyria, and why is it called "the vampire disease?"
     9.  What is a "psychic vampire?"
     10. Will a "real" vampire please come and turn me into a vampire?

  Part 3 -- How to get more information about vampires
     1.  What books about vampires are out there?
     2.  What movies about vampires are worth seeing?
     3.  Are there any organizations about vampires that I can join?

  Part 4 -- Miscellaneous vampire stuff
     1.  How can I find out more about Forever Knight?
     2.  Have you seen Interview with the Vampire?  Wanna talk about it?
     3.  Have you ever heard of White Wolf's Vampire: The Masquerade game?
     4.  What are some other Internet vampire resources?



Part 1 -- Questions about this newsgroup

1.  What is this newsgroup about?

     This group is for discussion of the vampire mythology and the
     distribution of original fiction, such as stories or poetry,
     related to vampires.


2.  Why do you spell "vampyre" with a "y?"

     "Vampyre" is an older spelling of vampire, which was used in
     the 1700's and 1800's.  Its use in the group's title is to
     provide a more "gothic" feel and to help keep newbies from
     finding this group.  :-)


3.  Do you REALLY think vampires exist?

     It would depend upon your definition of 'vampire.'  If you mean people
     who eat blood as a source of nourishment, then yes, vampires exist.
     There are many organizations that are dedicated to the teaching and
     practice of bloodeating.  However, if by 'vampire' you mean the
     supernatural beings found in movies and literature, then no, most of
     the people here do not believe in vampires; we just like to talk
     about them.

     The people on this group who write as if they were vampires
     are not intending to mislead anyone; they are doing it
     purely for entertainment, creating a sort of interactive
     story in this group.

     Unfortunately, like most of the groups that discuss fiction
     or myth from a non-academic standpoint, we occasionally get
     some idiot who feels that anyone who would discuss something
     that (in his/her/its opinion) does not exist must be stupid
     or have some psychological problem.

   Do not reply to these people.  There are two reasons for this:


     (1) There are people out there who, when they find someone who has accidentally
     left their account logged in, will use it to post this kind of stuff to a group.
     In this case, your reply will probably never be heard by the person who actually
     posted the stuff.
     (2) Those who do this from their own accounts are generally looking for attention
     in their own twisted way. Replying to them will only encourage them to keep on.
     Just hope that the losers will go back to harrassing the people on
     alt.fan.jesus-christ instead of us.

     We know that what we are discussing is worth our time.  If
     someone can't accept that, that's his/her/its problem.


4.  So-and-so can't be a vampire!  He's posting during the day!

     The idea that vampires have to sleep all day is not
     universal; Dracula was active during the day in Bram
     Stoker's novel, and many vampires in myth and legend were
     active during the day.  (See question 2.2)

     Secondly, how do you know the vampire is posting during the day?
     Don't you think time stamps can be altered?  Maybe that's just
     what they _want_ you to think... :-)

Part 2 -- Questions about vampires

1.  What powers are commonly ascribed to vampires?

     There are many, many different versions of the vampire myth,
     both in legend and in fiction, so just about any ability you
     could name has probably been ascribed to vampires at some
     point.

     If you want to know about the powers of specific vampire
     types, take a look at question 2.5, and at the non-fiction books
     listed under question 3.1.

     With that said, here are some of the powers traditionally
     ascribed to European vampires:


     * The ability to change their shape--common forms assumed
       are wolf, bat, rat, cat, owl, fox, weasel, raven, spider,
       scorpion, and fly
     * Strength, speed and sensory perception far greater than that
       of humans
     * The ability to summon and control animals, particularly
       rats and wolves
     * The ability to control weather--summoning rainclouds and fog
     * The ability to control the minds of mortals--commanding them,
       striking fear with a look, and causing selective amnesia


2.  What vulnerabilities are vampires subect to?

     * Weakened or harmed by sunlight
       Although this vulnerability seems very prevalent, there are notable
       exceptions to it.  As mentioned above, Dracula was relatively
       unaffected by sunlight.  Poppy Z. Brite's vampires were only sensitive
       to the sun, not harmed by it.  Even Anne Rice's vampires could move
       during the day--only _direct_ sunlight harmed them.
     * Repelled/harmed by religious symbols
       This appears to be a subject of great debate.  A very prevalent belief
       is that the symbol itself is useless unless the wielder possesses a
       strong faith in the efficacy of his symbol as a dispeller of evil.
       As such, the symbol is just the vehicle for the faith of its wielder,
       and the actual symbol need not be religious.
     * Repelled by garlic and/or wolvesbane
       Again, this doesn't seem to be universal.  Its inclusion in the
       vampire mythology may be due to the belief that since wolvesbane
       supposedly repelled werewolves, it would exert a power on vampires
       (which are lumped in with lupines for some reason) as well.
     * Unable to cross running water, except at the ebb and flow
       of the tide
     * Can't enter the home of someone without an invitation
     * Cannot pass a thicket of wild rose or a line of salt
     * Has to stop and count every grain in a pile of grain
       he/she encounters (type of grain varies)
     * Does not cast a reflection
       In some areas, vampires are believed not to show in photographs,
       and in some, they are believed not to cast shadows.


3.  How do physical illnesses affect vampires?

     It has been proposed that vampires are subject to illnesses, viruses,
     and other nasty bugs much the way mortals are.  At the very least,
     the victims of an infected vampire will contract the illness or virus.
     However (and this is only my opinion), because the mythology generally
     considers the vampire to be 'undead,' a vampire would be an unsuitable
     host for any nasty bugs, which tend to prefer warm, wet and living
     tissue, unlike vampire flesh.  The catagory of nasty bugs should
     include (again, in my opinion) the AIDS virus and any organism that
     is incapable of living outside of a host for a long period of time.


4.  How does one kill a vampire?

     Although it never a good practice to harm vampires, let alone kill
     them, some of the more favored methods of destroying a vampire include:

     * Immobilized/destroyed by driving a stake through the heart
       Some legends say the stake must be of a particular type
       of wood (generally ash, hawthorne, maple, blackthorn, buckthorn,
       or aspen), and some say that the stake must be driven through in
       one blow.
     * Cutting off the vampire's head
       Some legends say this must be done with a gravedigger's shovel.
     * Burning the vampire
       This seems to be a relatively universal method of destroying
       vampires (although Lestat de Lioncourt was burned and somehow
       managed to survive).
     * Cutting out the heart and burning it

    It should be realized that although these practices are supposed to
    harm a vampire, they also tend to put a hurting on mortals as well.
    Make what you will from that.


5.  How does one become a vampire?

     Again, there are many different possible routes of becoming a
     vampire in the mythology.  Some of these are:

     * Suicide
     * Excommunication, dying unbaptized/apostate, or anything
       else that puts one "outside of the church."
     * Being a wizard/witch
     * Having been a werewolf
     * Having your parents curse you, as in "May the earth reject you!"
     * Being born with teeth or with a caul (sometimes specifically a red
       caul).  In this case, it may be possible to prevent the change by
       burning the caul and feeding the ashes to the baby.
     * Dying and having a cat or other animal jump over the corpse before
       it gets properly buried
     * Possessing red hair
     * Being a victim of unavenged murder
     * Being a seventh son
     * Being sexually promiscuous
     * Being the offspring of a woman and a demon or an incubus
     * Being bitten by a vampire
       In some versions, the victim has to die from the bite to become a
       vampire; in others, three bites are necessary
     * drinking the blood of a vampire

     If it is suspected that someone is likely to become a
     vampire, it is possible to prevent the occurrence by using
     one or more of the methods for destroying vampires listed
     above or by burying the suspect body face downwards.  In
     eastern Europe, it was common to periodically check suspect
     bodies to see if they showed any signs of vampirism.
     Similarly, in China potential vampires were not buried until
     after they had decayed considerably.


6.  What types of vampires exist?

     This is a "sampler" of vampire legends from around the
     world.  For more variations on the vampire myth, take a look
     at some of the books listed under the non-fiction category
     of question 3.1.

     Asanbosam:  African.  Asanbosam are normal vampires except
       that they have hooks instead of feet.  They tend to bite their
       victims on the thumb.
     Baital:  Indian.  These vampires natural form is that of a
       half-man, half-bat creature roughly four feet tall.  They are
       otherwise unremarkable.
     Bajang:  Malaysian.  The bajang normally take the form of
       polecats.  They could be enslaved by sorcerors and forced to kill
       the sorceror's enemies, and some families were believed to be
       hereditarily stalked by the bajang.
     Baobhan Sith:  Scottish.  The baobhan sith (pronounced
       buh-van she) are evil fairies who appear as beautiful young women
       and will dance with men they find until the men are exhausted,
       and then feed on them.  The baobhan sith can be harmed and
       destroyed by cold iron.
     Callicantzaros:  Ancient Greece.  According to Greek legend,
       a child born on Christmas will become a callicantzaros.
       These vampires often appear in half-human, half-animal
       shapes.
     Ch'ing Shih:  Chinese.  Ch'ing shih appear livid and may
       kill with poisonous breath in addition to draining blood.  If a
       Ch'ing Shih encounters a pile of rice, it must count the grains
       before it can pass the pile.  They can be harmed and destroyed by
       normal weapons and by sunlight.  Their immaterial form is a
       glowing sphere of light, much like a will-o'-the-wisp.
     Civateteo:  Mexican.  These vampire-witches held sabbaths at
       crossroads and were believed to attack young children
       and to mate with human men, producing children who were
       also vampires.  They were believed to be linked to the
       god Tezcatlipoca.
     Dearg-due:  Irish.  The dearg-due is a standard European
       vampire, except that it cannot shapeshift and may be defeated by
       building a cairn of stones over its grave.
     Empusa:  Ancient Greece and Rome.  Empusas appear as either
       beautiful women or ancient hags.  They are strongly
       related to the incubi and succubi (q.v).
     Ekimmu:  Assyrian.  These are vampires of the spirit
       variety.  They are naturally invisible and are capable of
       possessing humans.  They can be destroyed by using wooden weapons
       or by exorcism.
     Hanh Saburo:  Indian.  These creatures live in forests and
       can control dogs.  They will attempt to lure or drive travellers
       into the forest to attack them.
     Incubus:  European.  Incubi (plural of incubus) are sexual
       vampires.  They are spirit vampires of a demonic nature.  They
       may enter homes uninvited and can take on the appearance of other
       persons.  They will often visit the same victim repeatedly.  A
       victim of an incubus will experience the visits as dreams.  The
       female version of an incubus is a succubus.
     Jaracara:  Brazilian.  Normally appearing as snakes,
       jaracara are said to drink the milk of sleeping women as well as
       their blood.
     Krvopijac:  Bulgarian.  Krvopijacs (also known as obours)
       look like normal vampires except that they have only one nostril.
       They can be immobilized by placing wild roses around their
       graves.  One way to destroy a krvopijac is for a magician to
       order its spirit into a bottle, which must then be thrown into a
       fire.
     Lamia:  Ancient Greece and Rome.  Lamias are exclusively
       female vampires.  They often appear in half-human, half-animal
       forms and eat the flesh of their victims in addition to drinking
       their blood.  Lamias can be attacked and killed with normal
       weapons.
     Loogaro:  West Indies.  Appearing as old women, these
       vampires go abroad at night as blobs of light, much like the
       will-o'-the-wisp.
     Mulo:  Serbian.  Mulos normally appear as people wearing
       white clothes.  They are active both day and night, and can
       assume the shapes of horses or sheep.  They eat their victims in
       addition to drinking their blood.  Mulos are also known as
       Vlokoslak.
     Nachzerer:  German.  These are ghosts of the recently dead which
       return to kill their families.
     Nosferatu:  Central and Eastern European.  The "traditional"
       vampire described in Dracula.  Most vampires appearing
       in movies and books are of this sort.
     Rakshasa:  Indian.  The Rakshasas are powerful vampires of
       the spirit variety.  They usually appear as humans with animal
       features (claws, fangs, slitted eyes, etc.) or as animals with
       human features (flattened noses, hands, etc.).  They often appear
       as tigers.  In any form, rakshasas are powerful magicians.  They
       eat the flesh of their victims in addition to drinking blood.
       Rakshasas may be destroyed by burning, sunlight, or exorcism.
     Strige:  Eastern European.  These are "birds of ill omen"
       who will attack people at night, with a whole flock of strigoi
       sometimes attacking a single victim.  The strigoi use their long,
       sharp beaks to peck holes in their victims and drink their blood.
     Vampyr:  Serbian.  The vampyr is naturally invisible, but
       can be seen by animals or by a dhampir.  A dhampir is the
       (living) offspring of a vampyr, and is capable of seeing vampyrs
       and of harming them physically.  Dhampirs would often hire out to
       destroy vampyrs.  Vampyrs cannot shapeshift.
     Vrykolakas:  Medieval Greece.  Described as being "swollen"
       and "distended," vrykolakas can walk in daylight without being
       harmed.  The vrykolakas may only call to be let into a specific
       house once a night.  In addition to sucking blood, vrykolakas
       also cause nightmares.  They may be destroyed by exorcism or
       burning.  In Crete, they are called kathakano.
     Wampir:  Polish and Russian.  Wampiri appear exactly as
       normal humans and have a "sting" under their tongue rather than
       fangs.  They are active from noon until midnight.  A wampir may
       only be destroyed by burning.  When the wampir is burned, its
       body will burst, giving rise to hundreds of small, disgusting
       animals (maggots, rats, etc.).  If any of these escape, then the
       wampir's "spirit" will escape as well, and will later return to
       seek revenge.  These creatures are also called vieszcy and
       upierczi.

     Of course, this list is not exhaustive.  Some other regional
     variants on the vampire are:  dracul (Austrian), kwakiytl
     (American Indian), lobishomen (Brazilian), murony
     (Wallachian), ogolgen (Bohemian), otgiruru (African), oupir
     (Hungarian), owenga (African), strigoi (Romanian), talamaur
     (Melanasian), vapir (Bulgarian), avarcolac (Romanian),
     sharabisu (Babylonian), brucolacas (Greek), kattakhanes
     (Singhalese), khadro/dakini (Tibetan), kalika (Hindu), aulak
     (Arabic), akharu (Assyrian vampiress), swawmx (Burmese),
     vikodlak (Slavic), vrikolak (Russian), and mullo (gypsy).


7.  How can I find a vampire?

     Tracking a vampire is like tracking any other animal; you must
     start by going to the native terrain of your target.  In the
     case of a vampire, these are places where sources of food, namely
     humans, congregate and can be relatively easily induced to slip
     off alone together for a bit.

     Thus, you should go to bars, dance clubs, and other such places,
     preferably in large cities (greater variety of prey).  Once there,
     watch the patrons.  Look out for other people who are watching the
     patrons.  If the place(s) you choose are preferred haunts of one
     or more vampires, then you should eventually notice a pattern;
     someone who routinely slips off with a person, but rarely with the
     same person twice.  Once you've got a few possible suspects, you
     can begin applying standard tests for vampirism; look at their
     skin, try to discreetly follow them a bit, see if they show up in
     mirrors.  Of course, some of these tests may just be myths, so they
     don't have to meet all of them.

     Once you're fairly sure someone is a vampire, you can begin the
     approach.  Try to get to know them in a social context.  This is
     the hardest, and potentially the most dangerous, part.  Reasonably,
     most vampires will not want to be discovered for what they are, and
     if they think someone suspects, they will either move on or eliminate
     that person.

     Should you succeed in this step, then you can begin to raise the
     subject of vampires.  Be subtle.  Don't come right out and ask,
     "Are you a vampire?"  Instead, bring up the subject of vampires
     in a conversation, and see what he/she says about it, if anything.

     Of course, you could always try the easy way:  try to get one of us
     to respond to you over the net.  You never know--it could happen.
     But don't be surprised if the vampire decides that you are too much of
     a risk to leave alive...  Good Luck.


8. What is porphyria, and why is it called "the vampire disease?"

     Porphyria is actually a group of diseases, all of which have
     to do with the metabolism of porphyrin, an essential ingredient
     in metabolising iron.  It is a genetic disorder, and is in
     no way contagious.

     In 1964, in an article in the _Proceedings of the Royal Society
     of Medicine_, L. Illis proposed that porphyria might be an
     explanation for werewolf legends.  More than 20 years later,
     in 1985, David Dolphin presented a paper at a meeting of the
     American Association for the Advancement of Science proposing
     that porphyria might be an explanation for vampire legends.

     What about porphyria made them make these statements?  One of
     the varieties of porphyria, congenital erythropoietic porphyria,
     has among its possible symptoms severe light sensitivity,
     reddish-brown urine and teeth, mutilation of the nose, ears,
     eyelids, and fingers, an excess of body hair, and anemia.  In
     addition, some kinds of porphyria are associated with epilepsy.

     However, there is no evidence that porphyrics have any sort of
     craving to drink blood, and, although it has been conjectured
     that eating garlic might be harmful to them, it is not.

     In short, the hullaballoo over porphyria and vampirism that went
     on for a short time was simply a typical media overreaction to
     anything that might heighten circulation/ratings.  :-)


9.  What is a "psychic vampire?"

     A psychic vampire is a living person who "drains" others
     emotionally.  Depending on the version, this may be an empathic
     drain (i.e., literally feeding on the emotions of others) or it
     may be a metaphorical drain (someone who "takes" emotionally
     without giving anything back; a "user").

     The victims of a psychic vampire become lethargic and depressed,
     and, should they be drained too much, may become suicidal.

     The vampire itself is generally represented as fairly normal
     except for its ability; depending on who you ask, psychic
     vampires may or may not be aware of what they do.


10.  Will a 'real' vampire please come and turn me into a vampire?

     _If_ vampires do exist, they may not be exactly what you
     have been led to expect from books, films, and role playing
     games. So if you make such a request you are publically
     expressing a desire to escape into the fantasy world you
     have seen in these media. Don't embarrass yourself.

      You should also consider that someone who _truly_ believes
     he/she is a vampire is more likely to be a criminally insane
     than undead. Do you really want to invite a dangerous psychopath
     to come and suck your blood out?


Part 3 -- Where to get more information about vampires

1.  What books about vampires are out there?

Fiction:

     For a list of vampire fiction, see David C. Mudie's
     ([e-mail]) _Suggested Reading for
     alt.vampyres_, posted to alt.vampyres on a monthly basis.

Non-fiction:

   All opinions were written by Travis S. Casey unless stated otherwise.

   Barber, Paul.  _Vampires, Burial, and Death_
     THE book to read if you're at all interested in the origins
     of the vampire myth.  Barber takes several actual accounts
     of vampire plagues, analyzes the various popular theories on
     where the vampire myth came from in light of them, and comes
     up with his own theory.  Along the way, he touches on many
     other areas of legend and gives a great deal of detail about
     how bodies tend to decompose.

   Masters, Anthony.  _A Natural History of the Vampire_
     A very good book, especially in the area of covering
     different regional versions of the vampire myth.  More
     accessible than Summers' books, and dealing more with the
     vampire myth than Barber's.

   Summers, Montague.  _The Vampire_ and _The Vampire in Europe_
     Two extensive works which have been used as source material
     by almost every non-fiction work on vampires since.  Slow
     going,  but occasionally lightened up by Summers' credulity;
     the man seems to be willing to believe almost anything.

The following info comes from Alyce Wilson; some of it overlaps with
what Travis Casey has written.  The info has been reformatted to fit better
into this FAQ, but the content has not been changed.

Recommended Vampire Reading List (Non-Fiction)
     This list may be reposted as long as this header is
     retained.  Compiled by Alyce Wilson [[e-mail]].
     Updates/corrections should be e-mailed to above address.
     >:-[ (I vant to suck your e-mail account time!)

   Aylesworth, Thomas G.  _Vampires_and_Other_Ghosts_.  Circa 1975.
     A surprisingly complete children's guide to vampires (with some
     inaccuracies by way of omission -- lack of space).

   Brosnan, John.  _The_Horror_People_.  New York:  St. Martin's
   Press, 1976.
     A general overview of the history of horror films (primarily in
     America).  Concerned with the *people* involved in horror films --
     actors and producers/directors.  Features a large section on
     the Hammer vampire films starring Christopher Lee.

   Bunson, Matthew.  _The_Vampire_Encyclopedia_.  New York:  Crown
   Trade Paperbacks, 1993.
     A compendium of vampire lore and theory.  Lists movies, myths,
     literary references.

   Carter, Margaret L., ed.  _'Dracula':_The_Vampire_and_the_Critics_.
   Ann Arbor, Michigan and London:  UMI Research Press, 1988.
     A collection of critical essays about Stoker's _Dracula_ and its
     connotations in society as a myth and as a novel.

   Cox, Greg.  _The_Transylvanian_Library:_A_Consumer's_Guide_to_Vampire_
   _Fiction_.  San Bernadino, CA:  Borgo Press, 1993.
     A comprehensive guide to English vampire fiction, from the seminal
     Polidori's _The_Vampyre_ (1819) through Ellen Datlow's 1989
     collection of vamp stories, _Blood_is_Not_Enough_.  Rates each work
     from 1 to 4 bats.  Includes a brief history of the vampire and
     definitions for various types of literary vamps.

   Dresser, Norine.  _American_Vampires:_Fans,_Victims,_and_Practitioners_.
   New York and London:  W.W. Norton and Co., Inc., 1989.
     Explores the myth of the American vampire; data collected through
     questionnaires to students, porphyria patients and vampire fans.
     Additional data was taken from the media.  Documents how Americans
     identify with and imitate vampirism.

   Glut, Donald F.  _The_Dracula_Book_.  Metuchen, N.J.:  Scarecrow
   Press, 1975.
     Expands on Dracula material from his previous book.  Discusses
     the vampire image in respect to Count Dracula.  A self-proclaimed
     contribution to the "Draculamania" of the 1970's -- the "years
     of the bat."

   Jones, Stephen.  _The_Illustrated_Vampire_Movie_Guide_.  Vol. I
   London:  Titan Books, 1993.
     It does what it says.  It says what it does.  A comprehensive
     guide to all international movies with a vampire theme or something
     approximating one.  Even includes movies where vamps make brief
     appearances (such as _The_Magic_Christian_).  Rates each movie
     from 1 to 5 bats.

   Leatherdale, Clive.  _Dracula,_The_Novel_and_the_Legend:_A_Study_
   _of_Bram_Stoker's_Gothic_Masterpiece_.  Wellingborough,
   Northamptonshire:  Aquarian Press, 1985.
     Traces the vampire legend through myth and literature.  Provides
     analytical perspectives on Dracula's role in culture and sociology.

   McNally, Raymond T.  _A_Clutch_of_Vampires:_These_Being_Among_
   _the_Best_from_History_and_Literature_.  1974.
     A collection of factual accounts of (so-called?) actual historical
     vampires, as well as some fictional stories.
     [McNally also wrote excellent book on historical Vlad Tepes, a.k.a.
     Dracula.]

   Ramsland, Katherine.  _The_Vampire_Companion:_The_Official_Guide_to_
   _Anne_Rice's_The Vampire Chronicles.  New York:  Ballantine
   Books, 1993.
     A cross-referenced guide to Rice's vampire books, as well as
     _The_Witching_Hour_, which shares some characters with _The_
     Vampire_Lestat_ and _Tale_of_the_Body_Thief_.  Recommend reading
     the chronicles *and* TWH before reading this guide.

   Senf, Carol.  _The_Vampire_in_Nineteenth_Century_Literature_.
   Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1988.
     Examines the progression of vampires from myth to gothic
     villain, to modern literature.

   Summers, Montague.  _The_Vampire:_His_Kith_and_Kin_.  New York:
   E.P. Dutton and Company, 1929.
     Classic work by the noted vampirologist.  Although a little
     difficult to read by modern standards, a valuable work because
     of its extensive documentation.

   Twitchell, James B.  _The_Living_Dead:_A_Study_of_the_Vampire_in_
   _Romantic_Literature_.  Durham, N.C.:  Duke U.P., 1987.
     Looks at female and male vampires in poetry and prose of the
     Nineteenth century.  Good for understanding of evolution of
     vampire myth in literature.


2.  What vampire movies are worth seeing?

     A review list of vampire movies is kept by Jason Puckett
     ([e-mail]), and is posted to alt.vampyres
     on a regular basis.

3.  Are there any organizations about vampires that I can join?

     The following list of vampire organizations is taken from the
     alt.gothic FAQ, maintained by Peter Wake ([e-mail]).
     I have no personal knowledge of any of these organizations, so
     if you get ripped off, don't blame me.  Most of the vampire
     magazines listed come from [e-mail].

The Vampyre Society:
Annual membership 12 pounds sterling, which gives you four issues
of 'The Velvet Vampire', free small ads and invitations to various
social events including weekends in Whitby.

Alice Pinder
P.O. Box 68,
Keightley,
West Yorkshire,
BD22 6RU
-----------------------
The Vampire Information Exchange Newsletter
P. O. Box 328
Brooklyn, New York 11229-0328
-----------------------
Nocturnal Extacy Vampire Coven
4527 South Troy
Chicago, IL 60632
-----------------------
Secret Order of the Undead
T. J. Teer
155 East C Street
Suite 323
Upland, CA 91786
-----------------------
Vampire Research Institute
send: S.A.S.E.
P. O. Box 21067
Seattle, WA 98111
-----------------------
"Good Guys Wear Fangs" fanzine
Mary Ann B. McKinnon, Editor
254 Blunk Avenue
Plymouth, Michigan 48170
(Note: She will answer correspondence, but it may be slow)
-----------------------
Temple Of The Vampire
Box 3582
Lacey, Washington 98503
The information packet fee is $5.00; Membership dues are $10.00 per month
These people have a hierarchical organization that seems to be almost a
religion of bloodeating but won't tell me enough info without me paying
them the five bucks for me to write a decent review of them.
-----------------------
Temple of Set
POB 470307
San Francisco, California 94147
-----------------------
Order Of The Vampyre
Ambrose
235 A.B.T.B.
Lewes, DE 19958
Dues: Postage cost.
Membership Includes: Correspondence, newsletters and bulletins, information
clearinghouse.  Possible invitation to the inner society.  Interested in
hearing about (fluff alert) vampire stories (fluff alert), fantasies,
attacks, etc.
-----------------------
The Dracula Society
The Honourable Secretary
Waterside Cottage
36 High Street
Upper Upnor, near Rochester
Kent ME2, 4XG
England
-----------------------
The Bram Stoker Society:
John C. Leahy, Secretary
Bram Stoker Society
4 Nassau Street
Dublin 2
Republic of Ireland
-----------------------
(Supposedly the two above don't get along together).

-----------------------
VAMPIRE ARCHIVES           $30/year for around 12 issues.
Publishing c/o Jule Ghoul  Schedule is erratic, but constant.
2926 West Leland Ave       $4/each issue.
Chicago, IL  60625-3716
-----------------------
SHADOWDANCE                $2/each issue, $10/year - bimonthly.
Michelle Belanger          Annual price may have changed...Send
PO Box 474                 SASE/IRC for info
Hinckley, OH  44233
-----------------------
THEE VAMPIRE GUILD         Send IRC for information.
Phill White
82 Ripcroft
Portland, Dorset  DT5 2EE
ENGLAND
-----------------------
SHADOWS OF THE NIGHT       This one is finally getting active
Nightmist Magazine         again. Due to deaths in the family
PO Box 17006               & personal problems, things were on
Rochester, NY  14617-0306  hiatus, but work has now begun on
                           Nightmist #2 from what I've heard.
$15/year - 4 issues.
-----------------------



Part 4 -- Miscellaneous vampire stuff

1.  How can I find out more about Forever Knight?

    The following information was culled from a post by Steve Fellows:

  Forever Knight is a television series starring Geraint Wyn Davies as
  Toronto Metropolitan Police Detective Nicholas Knight, an 800 year old
  vampire. Apparently the show is still being made and broadcast.  Check
  your local listings for times and days of broadcast.

Fan Club Information:

  To be part of the Forever Knight fan club, send $15 (US) to:

  Forever Knight Fan Club
  c/o Lora Haines
  P.O. Box 1228
  Boston, MA 02130
  USA

For more information through Internet:

  Try the email listserver:
  for information: send mail to [e-mail] or [e-mail]
  to subscribe: send message [SUBSCRIBE FORKNI-L first-name last-name]
  to [e-mail]

  Plus, there are two newsgroups dedicated to Forever Knight on Internet:

  alt.tv.forever-knight
  alt.tv.forever-knight.spoilers

  This first newsgroup has a FAQ maintained by Steve Fellows.  It is
  probably possible to get a copy of it by emailing to
  [e-mail] and asking nicely.


2.  Have you seen Interview with the Vampire?  Wanna talk about it?

    Yes, we've all seen it;  no, we don't want to talk about it.  We
    have gone through many threads concerning the casting of IWTV, the
    overall opinions on ITWV and psychological support groups created
    because there are so damn many posts about IWTV.  In short, we have
    grown tired of talking about the movie.  Starting a new thread may get
    you a few nasty letters in return.

    However, for more information about Anne Rice and her writing, try
    the newsgroup at

    alt.books.anne-rice

    or try the email listserver:
    for information: send mail to [e-mail]
    to subscribe: send message [SUBSCRIBE ANNERICE first-name last-name]
    to [e-mail]


3.  Have you ever heard of White Wolf's Vampire: The Masquerade game?

     Yes, we've all heard of it.  Most, if not all, of us have
     played it.

     Material relating to the game should only be posted if it
     is not rules-oriented; that is, feel free to discuss
     vampire society, physiology, psychology, etc., but don't
     ask questions about the rules or discuss them here.  If
     you do want to discuss rules, please do so in
     alt.games.whitewolf or rec.games.frp.misc.

     Once again, there is an email listserver that you may join:
     to subscribe: send message [SUBSCRIBE VAMPIRE-L first-name last-name]
     to [e-mail]

4.  What are some other Internet vampire resources?

     There is, of course, the ubiquitious email listserver (did you
     see this one coming?) that talks about all aspects of vampiric stuff
     to subscribe, send message [SUBSCRIBE VAMPIRE-L] to
     [e-mail]

     There is loads of stuff on the World Wide Web.  For general vampire
     info, check the two following URLs:

     Vampyres:  created by Brian Combs
        http://www.quadralay.com/Combs/Vampyres/home.html
     Vampyres Only:  created by Vlad III
        http://www.wimsey.com/~bmiddlet/vampyre/vampyre.html

     For vampire fiction on the web:

     Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles:
     address:  http://www.maths.tcd.ie/pub/vampire/intro.html

     Bram Stoker's Dracula:
     address:  http://www.cs.cmu.edu:8001/Web/People/rgs/drac-table.html

     The text of Dracula is also available by FTP from ftp.world.com,
     in the directory /obi/Bram.Stoker.  This version is compressed
     with the Unix compress program.  Lastly, those with gopher can get
     it fromthe gopher at world.std.com; look under OBI (The Online Book
     Initiative)

     Dark Shadows:  synopses of the first 300 episodes
     address:  http://www.wimsey.com/~bmiddlet/vampyre/faqs/dkshadow.html

     For more vampire and related things on the web:

     http://acacia.ens.fr:8080/home/granboul/Vampire/index.html
     http://www.teleport.com/~caseyh/horror/horror.html
     http://gothic.acs.csulb.edu:8080/Gothic
     http://coe1.engr.umbc.edu/~vijay2/home.html
               ^ Note:  this is a ONE--not an L!!

     Finally, for more newsgroups, try:

     alt.gothic    Not dedicated to vampires, but are there some interesting
                   topics that come up from time to time
     alt.horror    Does what it says--talks about the horror genre


Special Thanks go to:

Travis S. Casey         Peter Wake              Alyce Wilson
Steve Fellows           Erika Michele Tatsuhwa  Gary Lee Hoke
David C. Mudie          Vlad III                Cathy Krusberg